Sebastian Vela: The New Meaning of Co-Workers

            On the last stop in a day full of unique development and opportunities, the class got the chance to meet a gentleman by the name of Sebastian Vela, who is the Co-Founder and Community Chief of Axis Space Coworking on Las Olas Way in Fort Lauderdale. He introduced us to a concept of office space that was very new to many of us. The concept blends the way a gym membership works with the growing mobility of office work to create a new way to do business. It is called Coworking and I believe it is here to stay.

                                  

Essentially, Axis Space has three levels of membership. There’s the “Open Ground” membership, where a member can pay $300 monthly to have access to any available desk in an open space that facilitates collaboration. There is internet access and phone booths for important phone calls. Then there is the “Bubble” membership, where a member can pay between $900 to $1500 monthly for access to a small personal office and the open workspace. Finally, there’s the “Cloud” membership, where a member can pay between $2200 to $2800 monthly for access to a large office and the open workspace. Each membership comes with access to all the other amenities, including access to the gym and pool.

As Sebastian gave us a tour of his facility, one couldn’t help but see how such a place could be very beneficial for its members. When I originally heard about Coworking, my opinion was that there would be too much of a distraction involved with an open workspace filled with individual entrepreneurs. However, after visiting the site and talking with Sebastian, I can visualize how effective working around other individuals can be. For instance, as an aspiring developer, Coworking would be beneficial if I had the opportunity to network with a freelance architect, lawyer, and/or engineers who also use the Axis Space facility. Overall, Coworking provides a great opportunity to cut overhead and startup costs for a new business owner. It also provides a great environment to create long-lasting social work networks to expand business operations.